X Never, Ever Marks the SpotRankings, theories, behind-the-scenes stories, and fun facts about the adventures of Indiana Jones, the archaeologist who can find anything—except the inner-strength to conquer his own fear of snakes.
When you think adventure, you think Indiana Jones. The series completely reinvigorated the adventure movie genre and none have come close to matching the magic of the original Indiana Jones trilogy. Maybe you've watched all the films over and over again, but there's certainly lots of behind the scenes Indiana Jones trivia to learn!
The combination of Steven Spielberg's (quasi-) grounded adventurous approach to family-friendly filmmaking and George Lucas's eye and mind for the fantastical (Star Wars) made for the perfect pairing.
The franchise, one of the best film franchises in history, is infinitely re-watchable. Full of twists and turns, laughs and shrieks, adventure and romance, it's the ultimate in classic filmmaking and a cultural touchstone that affected pop culture and film for years to come.
Let's look back at the films and enjoy some interesting facts you may not know about the Indiana Jones series. Enjoy the journey back through the franchise and all across the world, and be sure to upvote the best Indiana Jones trivia facts!
Another Legendary Movie Was Scripted on the Set of Raiders of the Lost Ark
Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison wrote a script while on location for Raiders. Mathison was on set seeing her husband, Harrison Ford, and Spielberg dictated to her a story idea he had. The script eventually became E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Indiana Jones's kangaroo-hide bull whip was sold in 2012 at Christie's auction house in London for $216,000. You can find his famed jacket and hat on displayat the Smithsonian.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Shooting of the Swordsman Was Not Scripted
The famous scene in which Indy shoots a swordsman was not originally included in the script. Harrison Ford was supposed to use his whip to get the swords out of his attacker's hands, but the food poisoning he and the rest of the crew had gotten made him too ill to perform the maneuver. After several unsuccessful tries, Ford suggested "shooting the sucker." Steven Spielberg took up the idea and the scene was successfully filmed.
The Indiana Jones Franchise Was Conceived While George Lucas Was Avoiding Thinking About Star Wars
Just before Star Wars: Episode IV was set to open in 1977, Lucas went to Hawaii, where he was joined by Steven Spielberg. Over the course of the vacation, Lucas and Spielberg developed an idea of an adventure movie that would becomeRaiders of the Lost Ark. After their trip, they got together and developed the script with Lawrence Kasdan over several days in Sherman Oaks.
Indiana Jones Is Partially Responsible for Tomb Raider Featuring a Female Lead
Lara Croft, the female archaeologist of the Tomb Raider series, was originally designed as a man, but was changed to a woman, partly because the developers felt the original design was too similar to Indiana Jones.
Harrison Ford Was Cast Last Minute After Dozens of Other Actors Either Turned Down, or Couldn't Commit to the Role
Actors considered for the role of Indiana Jones included Nick Nolte and Tom Selleck, who was offered the role but couldn't get ouf of a pre-existing contract for Magnum PI. Harrison Ford was cast less than three weeks before principal photography began.
